Fire-escape.



THOMAS H. ELLIOTT, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification o1 Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1.912.

`Application filed August 14, 19.11. Serial No. 644,051.

T o 'all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. ELLIOTT, citizenof the Dominion of Canada, residing at Vancouver, inthe Province of British Columbia, Camicia, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the followingl is la specification.

This invention relates to a tire lescape of thatclass wherein a body carrying sling is so connected to an escape rope suspended from ythe roof or Window of a house, that the friction of the rope in that connection will check the speed of descent of a body in the sling.

My invention is particularly ,directed to the provision of a simple and efficient device that will furnish a constant frictional resistance sufficient to prevent a high speed of descent, and having also provision whereby `the friction may, at the will of the user, be increased beyond that amount so as to further reduce `the speed or, if necessary, to arrestdescent.

The invention is particularly described in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 represents a general side elevation of the body sling and its connection to the rope of descent. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same on the line A A in Fig. l. Fig. 8, a cross section to an enlarged scale on the line B B in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section to an enlarged scale on the line C C in Fig. 2.

The member by which connection of the body sling 2 is made to the sustaining or descent rope 3 is comprised of. three main parts, preferably made of wood, an elongated inid-piece 5 provided at equal intervals apart with lengthwise grooves 6 and secured to this mid-piece 5 by a central rod 8 are cap members 7 into which the piece 5 is recessed. The end caps 7 are provided with three apertures 9 corresponding with the grooves 6 of the mid-piece 5 so that the rope 3 may be passed downward through the upper cap along the groove with which it connects and in the bottom cap doubles back and passes again through the upper cap, through which it also doubles and is thereafter delivered through the lower cap to the ground. Where the rope is doubled in the end caps, as at l0, the adjacent apertures diverge slightly from one another, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 4, so as to provide a larger radius of bend and avoid injury to the rope in passing around it.

The body sling 2, in which the user may sit or which may be passed under the arms, is preferably formed of a short length of rope covered by a rubber tube. It is connected at each cud by a snap hook 20 and a. ring 21 to a clamp .23 in an annular Vrecess of each `end cap 7. These double reverse bends of the rope provide in themselves suflicient friction to prevent a dangerous rate of descent when a person is in the sling 2 but to enable the user of the device to increase at will the friction on the rope 3 and to check his own descent, a friction grip 11 is loosely mounted lengthwise over each groove 6 in the mid-piece 5. These grip members 1.1 are `preferably formed of sheet metal on the inside, of which is cemented a lining 15 of canvas and rubber packing material which offers a high coellicientof friction in contact with the rope 3. The ends of these friction grip members 1l are fitted loosely into recesses in` the end caps 7 so that, when gripped, they are free to exert the required pressure upon the rope in the grooves 6. Where the rope enters and leaves the end cap 7 a metal nipple 12 is inserted in the aperture and to each of these nipples is secured a grip member. This consists of a short length of rubber tube 13, lengthwise splitalong the middle on each side and having a length of rubber and canvas packing 14 inserted and cemented in it, the tube being secured to the nipple by a band 16. This is designed to enable the user to steady himself during descent without gripping the rope direct as there is an inclination to do, and affording at the same time a supplementary means of applying friction to check or arrest descent.

A simple and eective means is thus provided whereby descent may be made on a suspended rope, the device having a constant frictional resistance that will itself check the speed of descent within absolutely safe limits and having also two other supplementary means, independent of one another, for increasing that friction, and that in a manner that requires no special training to apply but that will instinctively be brought into act-ion by the grip of a nervous person using the device.

A further advantage of the device is that when a person has descended it is immediately reversible Without detaching the sling from the connection or without other change than the reversal of the descent rope alone.

The descent rope 3 is furnished of sufficient vlength to reach from the room to the ground and is Vprovided with a hook at each end for attachment 'to some convenient anchorage at the higher level. When descent has been accomplished the lower end of the rope with the sling and its connection attached is drawn up and the hool of what was the lower end is made fast while the other end is unfastened and lowered to the ground. The device is then without further change ready for another descent.

Having now, particularly described my invention and its several advantageous features, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a ire escape, an elongated central body having grooves extending lengthwise from end to end, caps rigidly secured to the ends of said body, and havinglongitudinal .apertures registering with said grooves, a

rope passed back and forth through said grooves, said caps having opposed recesses, elongated grip members held over said grooves with their ends projected into said. recesses, said grip members adapted to engage said rope in said grooves, a tubular member carried by each cap and registering with one of the apertures of the respective caps, and a hand grip secured to each tubular member through which the rope ends pass, gripping elements within said hand grips, and a sling having its ends respectively secured to said caps.

2. As a re escape, an elongated body of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

substantially triangular form in cross section, said body having a groove extending from end to end on each face, a pair of caps secured over the ends ot said body and having longitudinal apertures registering with said grooves, grooved gripping members co operating with said body to grip a rope in said grooves, said caps having recesses to receive said gripping members and retain them in position, a rope of descent passed back and forth through said caps and grooves, and a body sling secured at its ends respectively to said caps.

3. As a tire escape, an elongated body of substantially triangular form in cross section, said body having a groove extending from end to end on each face, a pair of caps secured over the ends of said body and having longitudinal apertures registering with said grooves, grooved gripping members cooperating with said body to grip a rope in said grooves, said caps having recesses to receive said gripping members and retain them in position, a rope of descent passed back` and forth through said caps and grooves, a body sling secured at its ends respectively to said caps, and an auxiliary gripping member carried by one of said caps, and through which said rope of de'- scent passes, said auxiliary gripping member including gripping elements.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses'.y

THOMAS H. ELLIOTT. Witnesses RowLAND BRITTAIN, MAY WHYTE.

Washington, D. C. 

